cover story 398 top products

Appliances
cover story 398 top products
Microwaves
Toasters & toaster ovens
The top brands offer ways to automate common cooking tasks. Recessed
turntables and smaller electronic components help increase capacity
without increasing size. But take a large platter to the store to see if it fits
into the model you’re considering. Some also offer convection, but none
with this feature consistently matched results you’d get in a regular range.
If all you do is pop in a couple of slices in the morning, a toaster
will meet your needs better than a toaster oven. Though some
toasters have gotten a designer makeover, the upscale ones we
tested were mediocre performers. If you cook small amounts
and want to avoid firing up your range’s oven, choose a toaster
oven with a broiling option.
GE Profile JES2251SJ[SS]
Type
Brand & model
Midsized
countertop
Kenmore 6633[9]
$140 75
Panasonic Inverter NN-SD697[S] 160 61
Large
countertop
GE Profile JES2251SJ[SS]
220 79
Panasonic Inverter NN-T945[S]F
GE Profile PEB2060DM[BB]
150 76
200 69
Toaster
ovens
Kenmore Elite 6790[9]
330 68
LG LRM2060[ST]
Over-the-range Kenmore Elite 8082[9]
160 68
630 76
Look for new Ratings in the
January issue.
GE Adora DVM1850DM[BB]
LG LMVH1750[ST]
Price Overall score
Type
Price Overall score
Toasters KitchenAid KTT340[WH]
Krups FEM2B
400 73
600 67
$50 82
70 80
T-Fal Avante Elite Convection
Rival TO600
100 66
65 61
Rival TO600
Panasonic Inverter NN-T945[S]F
Look for new Ratings in the December issue.
Kitchen gadgets
Brand & model
KitchenAid
KTT340[WH]
Cookware
Kitchen knives
Nonstick pieces command the lion’s share of purchases. Handle pans
before buying to gauge their weight, balance, and grip—remember,
they’ll be heavier when filled with food. Note that manufacturers count
each lid as a piece in the set’s total. If you have a smoothtop range, be
sure the cookware is flat-bottomed for better performance.
Stick with forged-steel knives, which tend to be sturdier and less apt to bend than
stamped-steel. Also bypass Damascus steel. Its distinctive swirl pattern may look
cool, but it’s pricey, and the ones we tested failed our corrosion tests. Hold knives
to check comfort and balance.
Type
Brand & model
Nonstick EarthPan with Sand Flow
Anolon Titanium
Type
Brand & model
Price Overall score
Forged blades
Henckels Twin Professional "S"
Wüsthof Trident Classic #8418
$290 90
300 89
$190 78
300 78
Henckels Four Star
260 87
Emerilware
200 75
Tramontina Professional L-400/03
Anolon Advanced
220 75
Ginsu Chikara
90 87
100 82
Starfrit Alternative Eco Pan
160 75
230 73
Mercer Genesis M0 30768
170 79
Berndes SignoCast Classic 697101
GreenPan with Thermolon (HSN)
160 71
Calphalon Kitchen Essentials (Target)
150 68
420 68
Uncoated Calphalon Contemporary
All-Clad Master Chef 2 700393
Emerilware
Price Overall score
Stamped blades Oxo Good Grip Professional
Chicago Cutlery Metropolitan
Chicago Cutlery Walnut Tradition
380 62
80 78
60 78
60 74
Ginsu Chikara
Electronics
Digital point-and-shoot cameras
Lightweight subcompacts are easy to use and small enough to fit in a
pocket, but most don’t have manual controls. Compact cameras are a
bit bigger and, along with superzooms, are more apt to have manual
controls and RAW-file capability. Superzooms, with 10x or longer
zoom, are ideal for sports and nature shots, but they’re fairly large.
Type
Brand & model
Subcompact Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS Elph
Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR
Casio Exilim Card EX-S12
Canon PowerShot SD780 IS Elph
Canon PowerShot A1000 IS
Compact
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1
Canon PowerShot D10
Superzoom Canon PowerShot SX1 IS
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20
Canon PowerShot SX110 IS
Samsung HZ10W
Price Overall score
$200
360
200
230
150
400
330
570
260
300
260
71
70
69
68
71
70
68
75
spotlight
SLR cameras
spotlight
The Casio Exilim
Card EX-S12, $200, is
one of the thinnest
and lightest
subcompacts. It’s
just over a half-inch
thick and weighs
only 5 ounces. In our
tests, it was speedy
and did very well in
low light.
71
69
69
Look for new Ratings in the December issue.
26
co n sum er r ep o rt s n ove mb e r 2 0 0 9
© 2009 by Consumers Union of United States, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without prior written permission.
Single-lens reflex cameras are for serious shooters. Big
and fairly heavy, they use interchangeable lenses and
have lots of features and manual controls. That adds to
complexity and cost, though some new models are
modestly priced. All prices below are for the body only,
except the Canon EOS Rebel T1 i, which includes a lens.
Type
Brand & model
Price Overall score
Basic
Canon EOS Rebel T1 i
$ 850 69
Nikon D5000
Pentax K200D
730 67
700 67
1,600 78
Advanced Nikon D300
Olympus E-3 Digital
1,250 77
Canon EOS-40D Digital 900 76
Look for new Ratings in the December issue.
Canon EOS
Rebel T1i
Two great lenses for
Canon, Nikon,
Pentax, and Sony
SLRs: the Sigma
18-200mm f3.5-6.3
DC and the Tamron
AF18-200mm f3.5-6.3
Di II LD Aspherical
(IF) Macro (shown).
Each costs $300,
half as much as
big-brand lenses.
Look for new Ratings in
the December issue.
Olympus E-3
Digital
november 2 009 www.C on s umerReports.org
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